ROCKINGHAM — Punching their ticket to the Elite 8 of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs for the second straight season, the No. 2 Richmond Raiders eliminated No. 7 Lumberton High School on Saturday.
In front of a packed gymnasium, the Raiders erased an early hole to earn a 72-59 win.
It was the team’s 19th straight win, extending the program’s longest winning streak in history.
Marking the 26th win of the season, it also tied the program’s single-season record, which was set last year.
Senior Zion Baldwin, who finished with 15 points and a team-high 14 rebounds, scored Richmond’s first six points. He hit four straight free throws before throwing down a one-handed jam.
Those points started a 17-0 run to end the final 3:56 of the first quarter and put Richmond ahead for good.
Junior wing Paul McNeil Jr. also had a double-double, netting a team-high 21 points and adding 10 rebounds. Juniors Jullien Cole and Javian Drake scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The game’s leading scorer was Lumberton’s JaMerl Brockington, who had 27 points in the loss.
Richmond led 32-19 at halftime and 53-34 at the end of the third quarter. The Raiders’ largest lead of the game was 23 points, 48-25, in the third.
Richmond (26-2) will host No. 6 Jordan High School (21-9) on Tuesday in the fourth round.
Below are photos from Saturday’s third-round playoff win, taken by sports editor Kyle Pillar.
